Heart of the Unknown
by Facade
Summary: Sequel to "From the Void": The team delves further into the mystery of the ships
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: The sequel to "From the Void", this story is incomplete and I am not sure I will ever get back to it.  
  
"Heart of the Unknown" Part 1  
  
The world went black. Alec's stomach clenched in terror and he heard the frantic pounding of his heart in the oppressive silence. Was he dead? Suddenly the light was back and he was roughly thrown around the cockpit of his e-frame when it slammed into the ground and rolled twice before coming to a stop laying on its back. He laid there for a moment, staring dazedly at the ceiling thru the cracked glass of the windshield, before calming his jangled nerves enough to engage the cockpit release. Air hissed out as the cockpit cycled the pressurized air out. Belatedly Alec glanced at the atmospheric readings. Fortunately they indicated the atmosphere to be passably breathable. His damaged hatch stuck after opening about an inch. Alec checked the status menus then queried the computer to see if he could possibly fix the malfunction himself. He cursed softly when it came back with a negative reply. Two e-frames in the span of two weeks. It had to be some kind of new record. He hadn't been that hard on his frames during the entire three years of the war. A terse mental command disengaged the cyber-link before he reached up to pull the manual emergency cockpit release. A second passed and nothing happened. Alec scowled in disgust. He was basically trapped in his e-frame. Could anything else go wrong? Alec fought down his rising panic and tried to slow his rapid breathing. Typhonus's face flashed in front of his eyes. He closed his eyes and reminded himself that Typhonus was dead and couldn't hurt him again. The claustrophobic feeling didn't go away. He practically punched the comm- link. "Maggie?! J.T.?! " he called. All he was rewarded with was static and sparks. Alec swallowed his fear and settled back against the padding. He chided himself for being ridiculous. He slapped out a smoldering spark on his arm while he contemplated what to do next. Years of war-honed instincts took over. He was an easy target laying there in the middle of the floor. Anyone who came by could take him easy because all of his frames defenses were down. He didn't know where he was but he wanted to live long enough to find out. Drawing his knees up to his chest, Alec placed both feet solidly against the glass and pushed. The spiderweb of cracks in the windshield spread even farther with audible pops and crackles. Alec relaxed for a second before squeezing his eyes tightly closed and covering them with his arms. Again he slammed his feet into the windshield and, with a final groan of protest, it shattered. Shards of broken glass rained down into the cockpit. He waited a moment before cautiously lifting his arms. The cockpit air was replaced with the sterile, recycled air from outside. Alec took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before carefully brushing fallen glass from his face. He laid quietly, his ears straining to catch any sound indicating he'd been discovered. Hearing none, he cautiously pulled himself from what was left of his frame, mindful of the jagged edges of glass that still clung to where the windshield had been moments before. He brushed the glass from his clothes and shook his head to dislodge the shards from his hair. With both feet safely on the floor, Alec dared a look around him. His jaw fell open slowly as he turned around in a full circle. It was amazing. From what he could tell, the ceiling, walls, and floor were all made of the same smooth, almost seamless material. On closer inspection, it proved to be like no other substance he'd ever seen before. It was solid yet it seemed to give beneath his hands. It also seemed to give off a faint luminescent light from deep within itself that looked totally natural. "Fascinating." Alec murmured to himself. He reached out and placed his palm against the wall and was surprised to find it not cool but warm to the touch. He pulled his hand away hastily. There was no doubt in his mind that he was aboard one of the alien ships. The only question left in his mind was were these new beings friendly? Alec shook his head, reminding himself that every moment he dawdled brought him closer to being detected and he didn't want to find out the beings temperaments the hard way... through experience. He forced himself to turn back to his frame. A wave of nausea rippled thru him, catching him unaware and driving him to his knees. Alec groaned in agony as pain slashed thru his head, pushing him almost to the brink of unconsciousness. His vision went blurry and for a second all he saw were vague shadows dancing before his eyes then it cleared and he was staring at the floor of the hallway. He hadn't moved at all. He was still kneeling on the ground, one arm bracing himself against the floor, the other wrapped around his stomach. Alec drew a shaky breath and straightened. The sick feeling had vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared. he didn't know what had happened to him but he hoped it only had to do with something in the air. He couldn't afford to be ill until he at least found out what had happened to Chaos. He unsheathed his knife and used it to pry a piece of panel off of his e- frame. It popped off easier than he expected and clattered to the floor before he could catch it. Alec's head snapped up and he glanced up and down the hall before setting to work. He buried his hands in the wires until he found the back-up battery cable and tugged it out to where he could see it. It was a black, inch thick bundle of wires used to run the life support systems in case the fusion pack was out of commission. If he could wire it into the emergency beacon, it might power it up enough to reach Able Squad or at least keep it transmitting until someone picked it up. Even as he formed his plan he had stripped the outer casing off with his knife blade and was seperating the different wires inside. Every now and then he would look up warily before going to work again. After locating the main power wire and cutting it, he dug in the wires again until he located the beacon wire. It took less than a minute for Alec to cut, strip, and splice the two wires together. He held his breath and prayed as he reached into the cockpit and turned the emergency beacon on. A tense second passed before the reassuring beep indicated it was running. Alec released his pent up breath in relief. ~Thank you, Maggie, for making sure we all knew our frames in and out.~ He stood slowly and looked both ways. Which way to go? The ship was just to tempting to even consider staying put. After a moment of deliberation, Alec moved off down the passageway. His footsteps were muffled by the very material of the floor. Behind him he left his abandoned frame, still faithfully transmitting it's emergency signal.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------  
  
"You can't be serious!" "Lieutenant, that was an order." J.T. replied. "But," Maggie protested, "we can't just leave. We have to help Alec!" There were murmurs of agreement from the rest of the squad. J.T. shot them a silencing look. "Maggie, we can't attack those ships. Alec is on one of them and the people of Chaos. We don't even know what kind of defense they have. There are only seven of us. It would be suicide." he reminded her. "If we wait for the Damocles to arrive with its troops we'll have a better chance." His voice softened. "Don't worry. We won't abandon him." Not this time. She looked torn but, with a final glance at the ships in the distance, she reluctantly nodded and moved toward the waiting hull of the Remington. J.T.'s gaze flickered to the emergency beacon pulsing on the display. As much as he longed to take after Kaz or Bronski and go after Alec with guns blazing, he was a leader first and a friend second. He had to think of the safety of the entire squad over that of a single person. He looked at the blip another second before turning the sensor off and bringing up the rear of the squad.  
  
So. What do you all think about the first part of the second chapter? Be honest. Sorry it took so long but I just graduated and now I'm looking for a job. Ugh. :) I have my own e-mail now so send all death threats to facade98@yahoo.com , K? Thanx  
  
*Facade*. 


	2. Chapter 2

Heart of the Unknown Part 2  
  
Colleen O'Reilly stumbled forward another step before exhaustion won out and she sagged to the floor gratefully. The gash on her head was still oozing blood. She could feel the sticky liquid on her temple and cheek but couldn't find the energy to wipe it away. The world tilted crazily and spun in circles in front of her eyes, making her nauseous. She pressed the heels of her palms against them, wishing for the pain throbbing through her skull to disappear. Colleen glanced at the timepiece on her wrist with blurry eyes, already knowing what it would say. 0300 hours. The time just after the ships appeared. It would be burned into her memory forever; and her watch also it seemed. Some kind of electrical interference must have occurred while they were being 'kidnapped'.  
  
Colleen idly twisted the watch around her wrist, staring at it wistfully. Too bad, too. It had been a gift from her parents before she left for the academy. She gazed down at the face and its unchanging time, lost in her thoughts.  
  
Her stomach rumbled loudly in protest. How long had it been since she'd last eaten? Three days? Four? Maybe more? Too long for sure. She hadn't really slept in even longer and it was beginning to tell now.  
  
She leaned back against the wall and her sigh sounded loud in the silence of the hall, reminding her of just how alone she really was. Where was everyone? There was always some kind of activity on a ship, especially one this size, yet she hadn't seen a soul since she'd left Hollis behind ages ago. There had to be someone around. Friendly or not.  
  
Looking for help was the first thing on her list and she had fully intended to get back up and do it but the lack of sleep and trauma from her head wound combined to put her out like a light. Her eyes slowly slid closed and one word slipped past her lips before sweet oblivion enveloped her.  
  
J.T.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Alec was getting worried. There was something really strange going on. Even stranger than the fact that there were alien ships in the solar system was the fact that they seemed to be completely deserted. Where was the crew? Or at least some sign of them? The ship was as deathly quiet as a morgue. Not even the faint hum of machinery marred the pristine silence.  
  
An uneasy chill swept up Alec's spine and he slowly eased his blaster from its holster. He palmed it before cautiously creeping forward and edging around a bend in the corridor. Nothing. The hall was as empty as the ones he'd been down before.  
  
Maybe the emptiness was starting to get to him. God, how he wished Maggie was with him. Or J.T. Hell, even Bronski would be better than being alone. He was about to turn around and try searching another hallway when an object laying near the wall caught his attention. Alec moved toward it warily. When he got closer he identified it as a foot. He steadied his blaster on it, unsure whether it belonged to a human or something else, much less if it was alive or not.  
  
His mouth dropped open in mute surprise when he edged around to the front of the alcove and peered inside, prepared for an attack. What greeted him was definitely not what he'd expected. Colleen O'Reilly lay slumped against the wall, one hand loosely gripping her blaster, the other laying limply in her lab. Dried blood matted the hair at her temple and ran in dark rivulets down her cheek and neck. The dark circles under her eyes made them appear sunken in her head. A myriad of dark bruises and bloody scratches could be seen through the many tears and rips in her jumpsuit. He could barely see the faint rise and fall of her chest with every breath she took.  
  
Alec slid his blaster back into the holster and knelt at her side. He pressed his fingertips to her neck, feeling her pulse beat slow but steady beneath them. He brushed back an errant strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail and studied the cut on her head. It wasn't long or deep but it was jagged. She flinched and moaned in pain when his fingers accidentally brushed against it. Colleen stirred and moaned again. Alec froze when he heard a soft click and felt the tip of her gun press against his stomach. He moved back slowly, not wanting to startle her into pulling the trigger.  
  
Her light green eyes were glazed and confused as they met his. She frowned at him when he slowly reached between them and carefully removed the gun from her hand. Alec sighed in relief and sat back on his heels, letting the gun dangle from his fingers. Colleen opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She licked her lips and tried again.  
  
"I'm dead, aren't I? The only way I could see you is if I was dead and that means I failed." she whispered, a tear slipping from the corner of her eye and streaking down her cheek. "I'm not ready to go!"  
  
"You're not dead, Colleen." Alec assured her, reaching out to brush the tear from her face.  
  
"Then I must be hallucinating."  
  
Alec smiled. "Dehydrated maybe but not hallucinating." He stood and extended his hand to her. "Can you stand?"  
  
Colleen nodded dumbly and took his hand, letting him pull her to her feet. She gasped in pain as blood rushed through her legs and she stumbled. She would have fallen if Alec hadn't caught her and supported her by pulling her up against his side. He smiled reassuringly at her and turned to look down the hallway.  
  
Colleen used his inattention to study his profile. She wasn't dreaming. It really was Alec DeLeon, but how could that be? She had been there when he died at Typhonus' hands. She had been the reason he had died. He saved her life. She blinked back the tears forming in her eyes and reached up to touch the side of his face. Alec turned his gaze back to her.  
  
"How?" she managed to choke out before her throat tightened, making speech impossible.  
  
A shadow crossed Alec's face and pain flickered in his eyes.  
  
"It's a long story that'll have to wait until later, okay?"  
  
Colleen nodded mutely and he started to step away.  
  
"Alec?"  
  
He turned back. "Yeah?"  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
Alec shook his head slightly. "Don't be. It wasn't your fault. Come on. Let's get moving."  
  
Colleen took the hand he offered and followed him down the hallway. She felt much safer now that she wasn't alone. She just hoped Hollis was all right.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- The lower half of his exoskeleton had long since stopped responding to his mental commands. Hollis was starting to worry. He had tried to ignore the niggling doubts in the back of his mind but Colleen had been gone for hours now and he was beginning to think something terrible had happened to her and he was completely helpless to do anything about it. He sighed, wishing sometimes that he had never heard of the ExoFleet.  
  
He turned his arm so he could check the power readout for his suit. Too damn low. He could already see the sluggishness in the exoskeleton's movements. Damn Barca for paralyzing him and making him dependent on a piece of machinery to make even the tiniest of moves. How he missed even the smallest sensations of touch now. A slight breeze or the soft brush of the fabric of his clothes on his skin was forever lost to him. If Barca weren't already dead...  
  
Hollis pushed the errant thought away just in time to hear a faint scuffing noise from the hall. He tensed, straining to catch it again. It was probably too much to hope that it was Colleen returning. The noise continued to get closer to the alcove where he was hidden and he was just reaching for his blaster when whatever it was stopped right outside.  
  
Hollis held his breath, hoping it would just keep going. He had no desire to meet his kidnappers armed only with an ExoFleet standard issue hand blaster.  
  
In the end, he didn't really have a choice. It lunged around the corner, catching him totally unprepared, and closed the short distance between them in a split second. He opened his mouth to scream but all that came out was a small, terrified cry. Hollis lifted the gun and squeezed off a few shots at point blank range. The creature just shrugged them off and a swipe of a long, taloned appendage sent the gun clattering to the floor a couple feet away.  
  
Hollis' scream echoed down the passage for a long moment before it was abruptly cut off.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- "Commander? Your presence is required on the bridge, sir."  
  
J.T. blinked groggily and tried to focus on the young pirate standing next to the cot he laid on. "What?"  
  
"Simbacca wants you to join him on the bridge, sir," the pirate repeated. "I believe the Damocles has arrived."  
  
J.T. rubbed his eyes irritably and sighed. "Alright. I'll be right there."  
  
The door slid closed after the pirate and J.T. threw the light blanket off before sitting on the edge of the bed. He hesitated a moment before standing and striding out the door. He wasn't ready to deal with the Senate's hounds yet. He still didn't have any proof that his claims were valid and that he wasn't crazy. He'd just have to stall and pray for a miracle.  
  
"Okay. Alec, be my miracle," he muttered to himself before he stepped through the door onto the bridge.  
  
Simbacca turned to greet him, a grave look on his normally jovial face.  
  
"How bad is it?" J.T. asked.  
  
"They are under orders to shoot us down if we do not immediately surrender the command of the ship to them," the pirate captain replied.  
  
"Let them. We don't surrender. Ever." J.T. responded vehemently, turning to look at the pirate. "You taught me that."  
  
Simbacca stared at him for a moment, stunned, before he threw his head back and roared with laughter, drawing all eyes on the bridge to them. He slapped J.T. on the back and chuckled. "We'll make a good pirate out of you yet, Marsh. Let us see what we can do about our friends aboard the Damocles."  
  
The two moved toward the main communication console. The closer they got the more distinctly they could hear the Damocles' captain's voice angrily issuing from the comm. A harried comm tech gratefully relinquished her chair to J.T.  
  
"Where did that flea-infested pirate Simbacca go?! I want Commander Marsh on the line right now!!" the captain bellowed.  
  
"Commander Marsh here, Captain Langstrom." J.T. said, turning the monitor toward him.  
  
"Marsh!! You insubordinate little flunkey! Tell that overbearing, pompous ass Simbacca to surrender or I'll blow his ship to Jupiter and back. You are also commanded to surrender yourself and your squad by order of the Senate to be escorted back to Earth to stand trial." Langstrom ranted. "Do you hear me, Marsh?!"  
  
"I'm sure you take your job very seriously, Captain. Unfortunately, I can't oblige you. There are more important things that require my attention right now. I assure you that as soon as this is over, Able Squad will hand ourselves over to you. Marsh out."  
  
"MARSH!!! You deluded..."  
  
Langstrom was suddenly cut off as J.T. ended the transmission.  
  
"I'm going to assume there was a plan behind making him angry?" Simbacca inquired from behind him.  
  
J.T. turned to face him. "He wasn't planning on listening to a word I had to say. Langstrom is a zealot. He'll take his orders to the extreme."  
  
"Then we prepare to fight." Simbacca injected, a familiar twinkle coming to his eye.  
  
J.T. shook his head, a small smile curving his mouth. "No. He's not going to engage us. He may be a fanatic but he won't go that far because I'm sure the Homeworlds want the two of us alive if at all possible. Remember, we are war heroes."  
  
J.T. grinned as what he said dawned on Simbacca and the pirate's face broke into his traditional feral grin.  
  
"You amaze me, J.T. Marsh. You think like a pirate."  
  
"Thanks. I think." J.T. responded, still unsure if being like a pirate was a good thing or not.  
  
"Now we just have to wait."  
  
To be continued..... 


End file.
